36 | nzdairy The McKenzies have conducted full farm soil tests on both support blocks and tailored their pasture management strategies accordingly. Brad says that quite often people are deterred from farming coastal land. “But we are consistently improving our blocks and how to manage a property on the coastline with adverse weather effects, different soil structures, and so on,” he says. “The Colac Bay and Tuatapere support blocks are harder to manage in terms of pasture management compared with a dairy farm. We are dealing with different aged animals on the support blocks - heifers, yearlings, bulls - on different pasture types. We have learned how to use the different blocks together. One can be completely dry and the other Suppliers of Crushed Rock & Gravel Phone Daryll • Grading & Rolling • Building Platforms • Lane Maintenance • Drainage • Bulldozing • Tip Trucks Proudly supporting Oraka Farms Stepping beyond the numbers MORE THAN ACCOUNTANTS BDO New Zealand Limited, a New Zealand limited liability company, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. BDO New Zealand is a national association of independent member firms which operate as separate legal entities. BDOAgribusiness. Your boots’n all partner for accounting, tax, audit and business advisory services. As farmers, you face change and challenges aplenty. At BDONew Zealand, we can help you navigate these and ensure your business is operating efficiently, sustainably and profitably. With the largest agribusiness accounting network in the country and extensive knowledge of farm systems, we’ll work with you to help reach your goals. BDO.NZ/AGRIBUSINESS DAIRY PEOPLE » Oraka Farms • from page 34 completely fine, so we can move animals between the two blocks.” The McKenzies have conducted full farm soil tests on both support blocks and tailored their pasture management strategies accordingly. “With the Colac Bay hill block you can’t cultivate it, so we fly on lime and clover seed and adjust what we do re weed spraying. We’re looking at drone rather than blanket spraying. We’re also doing water quality testing and working alongside Fork and Spade, a riparian planting business, with 4km of planting planned for autumn. We are collaborating with Environment Southland and Thriving Southland to hopefully secure funding for this,” says Brad. Oraka Farms, based in Oteramika, milks 2,380 cows across three dairy platforms on an 820- The family has completed the first of three Redpath wintering sheds, housing 400 cows, with two further sheds of 500 cows each planned, one of which is currently under construction.
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